Synthesis of multimetallic nanoparticles using a solution-based pulsed laser deposition approach

Multicomponent noble metal nanoparticles were synthesized using a novel laser-assisted dry processing approach. Combining attributes from conventional pulsed laser deposition and matrix-assisted pulsed laser evaporation, nanoparticles of Au-Ag and Au-Ag-Pd were deposited on Si substrates and electron microscopy grids from metal precursors. The mean diameter of Au-Ag particles was approximately 2.8 nm, while that of Au-Ag-Pd particles was approximately 2.2 nm. Significant compositional non-uniformity was observed in deposited particles and is attributed to the inhomogeneity of the target solutions and the decomposition behavior of the selected material systems.